The resort hotel is not in this city, you have to take a plane and then drive for two hours to get there.
However, although the journey was a bit difficult, the scenery of the resort hotel was quite nice.
It is autumn now and the mountains are full of beauty.
The lush trees are left to remain green, while the yellow ones have already been tinged with the bleakness of autumn. Occasionally there is an orange-red color that is more beautiful than the sunset, accompanied by the clear lake water and the vast sky, which makes people feel relaxed and happy and reluctant to leave.
As soon as Jian Jing saw this beautiful scenery, she immediately put aside the depression of interrupting her work and exclaimed sincerely: "Living here is really no different from being in a fairyland."
Kang Mucheng said: "Well, it's not easy to delay the manuscript."
Jian Jing: “…”
The resort hotel is located at the westernmost end of the town, across a lake. No matter which room you stay in, you can have an intimate contact with nature as soon as you open the door.
They were hosted by the owner of the resort hotel, Painter Chang, who is also President Kang’s good friend.
She was in her early forties, with slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but still very slim. She was wearing a silk printed shirt and jeans. If you didn't look at her face, you could easily mistake her for a college student in her early twenties.
"Mucheng." Painter Chang held a lady's cigarette between his fingers, his eyes narrowed, "Long time no see."
Kang Mucheng nodded politely: "Sister Chang."
"Did you bring your girlfriend?" she asked.
Kang Mucheng said, "This is a young person from our club. Bring her here to see the world. Jingjing, this is Painter Chang."
Jian Jing greeted politely.
Painter Chang looked at her and smiled, "What a pretty girl. Come in, it's windy outside." She called the girl in the room, "Xiaotian, come here."
"Okay, teacher." A girl with a ponytail trotted out.
"This is Mr. Kang, take them to Starry Night and Iris." Painter Chang waved his hand, "Mucheng, come over once you're settled, and we can chat together."
Kang Mucheng nodded in agreement.
Oda led them out and turned left, walked to a two-story house next to it, and introduced: "There are three buildings here. The one on the far right is Monet, the one in the middle is Da Vinci, and this side is Van Gogh."
Starry Night and Iris are naturally the room numbers. The two rooms are adjacent to each other and have the same layout, with a double bed, wardrobe, desk and separate bathroom.
Jian Jing put down her luggage, washed up briefly, and went to the Da Vinci Building in the middle with Kang Mucheng to meet other guests.
Painter Chang is well-known in the industry and has many friends. Some of them are busy and come to stay for an afternoon and then leave, while others, when they have free time, simply stay and chat with friends every day and enjoy the natural scenery.
At this moment, there were two strangers sitting in the living room.
"This is Xiao Xia brought here by President Tao. Well, come to think of it, your publishing house has been quite fond of signing young and pretty girls in the past two years." Painter Chang joked as he introduced them.
Kang Mucheng said coldly: "Writers look at talent, not looks."
His words were not polite, and Jian Jing could not help but glance at Xiao Xia who was introduced. She was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with long wavy milk tea brown hair, delicate makeup, and a sweet face. She looked familiar.
If you think about it carefully, it's not difficult to remember her identity.
Xia Xing, known as the sweet little queen, is a romance writer favored by Morningstar Publishing House. The sales of her books have always been in the top three of the romance novel list.
As for Mr. Tao... If I'm not mistaken, he should be the editor-in-chief of Morning Star Publishing House.
It's incredible, the two competitors are colliding with each other.
"Boss Kang, you're such a compliment. I'm unworthy of it." The girl, whom Jian Jing silently called Xia Tianxin, waved her hands and responded with a smile, "I write light-hearted love stories to spice up our daily lives. But I'm quite proud of myself. Not everyone can please others."
These words were said modestly and sincerely, yet they also showed the sharpness and vigor of a young man, and were of a very high level.
Kang Mucheng glanced at her and didn't bother with the little girl.
Painter Chang's eyes flickered as he introduced the tall, thin man next to him who was lazily sitting next to him: "This is Eddie, the model."
"Hello." Eddie yawned, looking sleepy and as if he was still hungover.
Painter Chang seemed to be accustomed to his situation: "You should drink less, at least before dinner, I hope you can be more energetic."
"I'm always like this during my vacation." Eddie waved his hand nonchalantly.
Painter Chang said no more and went to the bar: "What would Mr. Kang and the kids like to drink?"
"Coffee." Kang Mucheng glanced at Jian Jing and answered for her, "She too."
Painter Chang crossed his arms and said, "I don't have any coffee here, only wine. You can drink it if you want."
Kang Mucheng said: "Water is also fine."
"No." Painter Chang walked out from behind the bar and sat down at the end farthest from him, with an expression that showed he didn't want to talk to him anymore.
Her apprentice Xiaotian observed her expression and quickly poured two glasses of lemonade: "Mr. Kang, Ms. Jian, drink some water."
"Thank you." Jian Jing took the cup of water but didn't drink it. She asked softly, "Are there many guests? I think someone is already living in the room downstairs."
Now it has become her instinct to observe the environment anytime and anywhere.
Oda said, "Yes, they went out fishing with Xiaolu."
"Can we still fish here?" Jian Jing chatted with her in a low voice, "What kind of fish are there?"
"Yes, there is a reservoir in the mountains, which is very suitable for fishing and sketching." Oda was very enthusiastic. He pulled out pictures from his mobile phone and showed them to her. It was indeed a large, vast and clear reservoir with beautiful scenery.
Jian Jing glanced at Painter Chang and asked with a smile, "Do you often go there to sketch?"
Oda nodded and asked her, "Do you want to go?"
"We are too tired from traveling today, let's do it another day." Jian Jing stroked the water cup and smiled, "It would be a pity not to visit such a beautiful place."
She took this opportunity to start a conversation, asking who named the resort hotel and whether it was difficult to learn painting. She gradually became familiar with Oda and extracted information about other people.
Painter Chang has two disciples, one is Xiaotian and the other is Xiaolu. Mr. Tao and Xia Tianxin are guests, but Eddie is not.
He is the painter's "friend", the kind who sleeps with him. He lives here for half a year, and although he is not the owner, he is like the owner.
The remaining guests who went fishing with Mr. Tao and Xiaolu happened to have some conflicts with Jian Jing.
Writer Wu.
"Are they friends?" Jian Jing was slightly surprised. It was hard for her to imagine the relationship between the two parties.
Xiao Tian turned sideways and said inaudibly, "Writer Wu is a friend of my master." After a pause, he added, "My master passed away two years ago."
Jian Jing took out her phone to search and found out that Painter Chang's deceased husband was also a famous writer with a very distinctive pen name, Yangguan. He was good at writing historical essays and novels and was quite famous.
The avatar on the encyclopedia was a middle-aged man. She calculated the years and found out that he was 62 years old.
Looking at the time of marriage, he had two marriages, one at the age of 21 and the other at the age of 52. His second wife was painter Chang, who was only 30 years old when they got married.
Writer Wu is fifty-nine this year, so it is not surprising that he says Yangguan is his friend.
On the other side, Painter Chang asked Kang Mucheng: "How many days do you plan to stay?"
"It depends on the situation. If there's nothing going on in the community, you can stay for two more days. If there's something going on, there's nothing we can do." Kang Mucheng remained calm.
Painter Chang leaned back on the velvet sofa and said, "Is Sister Kang so busy? The burden is all on you."
"She always has something to do." Kang Mucheng said.
"That's right." She casually lifted her hair, looked around and smiled, full of charm, "But since you're here, you can at least stay a few more days. There are many people who want to come here, but I haven't seen anyone who wants to leave yet."
Kang Mucheng said: "The countryside may be nice, but I am more accustomed to the city."
Painter Chang asked back, "How do you know it's not good if you don't try? People change." She turned around and said to the others, "When I was young, I loved to run around and couldn't settle down. Asking me to stay in one place permanently was like cutting my flesh. It was so painful that I wanted to die. Now that I'm older, it's better not to move all year round."
Xia Tianxin smiled and said, "It has nothing to do with age. I'm just tired of doing the same thing for too long, so I naturally want to try a different life."
"Oh," Painter Chang said with a smile, dusting off his cigarette ash. "The people that Old Tao has trained are so sweet."
She glanced at Xiaotian, or at Jian Jing who was standing next to Xiaotian: "If my students were half as smart as you, I don't know how much effort I would have to put into them."
Xiaotian's expression was a little awkward for a moment. But she didn't know if this had happened many times before, so she quickly adjusted herself and smiled apologetically: "The teacher has put a lot of thought into us."
"That's good to know." Painter Chang said calmly, "Don't just stand there, bring your album out for everyone to see. Although Mr. Kang is not as experienced as Mr. Tao, he is famous for his good vision."
Xiao Tian showed some joy on his face. He took out a sketchbook from the bookshelf and handed it to Kang Mucheng: "Please correct me and criticize me, teachers."
Painter Chang is good at watercolor, and so are her students.
The album contains several carefully collected watercolor paintings, mainly natural landscapes, with clear and elegant brushstrokes, which are very beautiful.
Kang Mucheng read through the pages one by one, concentrating completely. Xiaotian wanted to ask him to say a few words, but once he got into work mode, his aura was quite terrifying, so she hesitated to speak, not daring to interrupt rashly.
These few short minutes were a real torture for her.
After a moment, Kang Mucheng finally raised his head and commented: "It's a beautiful painting."
Xiaotian's eyes showed some joy, and she couldn't help looking at Painter Chang. She put out her cigarette, took a sip of the cocktail on the table, and asked, "Can it be released?"
"Sure." Kang Mucheng answered readily, "Three thousand copies, 10%."
The album is expensive, which is already a very realistic price for a newcomer.
Painter Chang said in a cold tone: "You don't think it's good?"
"Beauty is not a style." Kang Mucheng closed the album and returned it to Xiaotian. "The themes of your paintings are similar, but the style is very erratic. Sometimes you imitate this, sometimes you imitate that. You don't have any personal characteristics."
Oda was stunned.
Kang Mucheng said: "Your paintings are good. If you sign them to our company, I will give you a higher price. But with your current level, it will take another two years to achieve artistic success."
Every publishing house has its own contracted artists who provide illustrations, covers, and theme collections at a good price. But no matter how much money these people make, they cannot be recognized by people in the art world.
Xiaotian hugged his sketchbook tightly, bit his lip, and then reluctantly said, "Thank you, Mr. Kang."
"You're welcome."
The atmosphere was awkward for a moment.
Xia Tianxin came out to help out again and said to Xiaotian: "Your paintings are very elegant and beautiful. I like them very much. Can you sell me one? I just moved, and my bedroom is still missing a painting to add to the finishing touch."
Oda shook his head and said dejectedly: "My paintings are worthless."
"Buying paintings depends on fate. For Mr. Chang's works, even if I spend all my money, it's still not enough to have this 'fate'." Xia Tianxin is a shrewd person, flattering him twice, "I don't understand art, it's enough for me to like it."
Xiaotian was coaxed by her and calmed down: "I'll give it to you. Come to my studio and pick one for yourself."
The two little girls walked away arm in arm.
Painter Chang looked at Jian Jing meaningfully and said, "Aren't you going? You were chatting so enthusiastically with Xiaotian just now, I thought you liked her paintings too."
Jian Jing: "There is no obvious causal relationship between being able to chat and liking to paint."
"So, do you like it or not?" Painter Chang is a typical artist who doesn't care about logic but focuses more on feelings. "I want to hear what you young people think."
Jian Jing wondered, "Isn't our President Kang a young man?"
Kang Mucheng couldn't help laughing: "Middle-aged."
"Anyone under 44 years old is considered a young person, especially unmarried ones," Jian Jing presented as evidence.
Painter Chang was very stubborn: "I want to hear your ideas."
Jian Jing raised her eyebrows. Socializing is a laborious job. Unless it is necessary, she would rather stay in the corner and observe quietly, rather than speak meaningless social language.
But being socially awkward doesn't mean she can't cope.
"Why? Am I important?" She took the offensive and refused to obey easily.
Communication is sometimes social and sometimes a secret war.
"Just asking casually, you don't want to tell me? What are you hesitating about?" Painter Chang was not to be outdone.
"What are you worried about? I'm a layman, and if I don't speak well, will everyone laugh at me?" Jian Jing asked in confusion, and then said, "Compared to other people's evaluation, the teacher's opinion is more important."
Painter Chang smiled. She skillfully took a lady's cigarette from the cigarette box, lit it, and exhaled: "My opinion?" She said in a long, slightly strange tone, "What opinion can I have? I have no opinion."
Jian Jing: “…”
End the topic forcefully.
She immediately lost interest: "Excuse me, where is the bathroom?"
Eddie yawned and stood up bonelessly: "I want to go too, come with me."
Jian Jing didn't want to have much contact with him, but her bladder couldn't hold her back, so she had to follow him.
The location of the bathroom is confusing. You have to go through the living room, reach the corridor, and then go around a studio before you find the entrance.
She was about to thank him when Eddie turned around and stood facing her.
Jian Jing was puzzled: "What's the matter?"
"Lisa has a rather eccentric temper." Eddie's voice was hoarse, and the low tone tickled his eardrums. "It's fine if you go along with her. But if you go against her, she'll hold you back. But she doesn't have any ill intentions, she's just used to having others listen to her on everything."
Jian Jing nodded: "Thank you for the reminder."
Eddie shrugged and pushed open a small door next to him. Suddenly, he was greeted by a vast expanse of greenery, a very beautiful mountain scenery.
Jian Jing didn't pay much attention to it and went straight to the bathroom.
When she came out, she saw Eddie still standing at the door, as if waiting for her.
"I see you don't want to go back and chat, do you want to go out for a walk?" He said, "From this side, you can see beautiful scenery."
Jian Jing really didn't want to go back and sit there in boredom, but she also felt that Eddie seemed to have other purposes, so she thought, "Okay."
The weather was sunny and blue when I arrived, but after staying indoors for a while, the sky turned gloomy. The cool mountain air blew in my face, bringing with it a bit of autumn bleakness.
While strolling, Eddie asked, "What do you think of the scenery here?"
Jian Jing said sincerely: "Very good."
"That's because it's your first time here," Eddie said. "Come here once or twice to relax, but if you come here every year, anyone will get tired of it."
This was very interesting, and Jian Jing couldn't help but ask: "If you don't like it, why do you still come?"
"Even if the birds at home like to fly somewhere else, they have to return to the cage on time," Eddie said leisurely. "Outside, there is no food that can be eaten without working hard."